Ulmea tapped her pencil twice, then stopped.
The page in front of her was full of numbers that she didn't care about. She kept staring down at the open notebook.
It was 2 am. She was tired but not sleepy.
She should've been asleep. Everyone else was. But she had maths homework that was still undone.
She told herself that she was doing homework.
But the truth was that thinking hurt less when it had the excuse of numbers.
She had been stuck on the same question for over an hour.
"Why can't I get this right?" she thought, rubbing her eyes."Why does it feel harder than it should be?"
Ulmea rested her head on the desk.
She leaned her cheek against the cold surface of the desk for just a few moments.
She was tired. Not the kind of tired that vanishes with sleep, but the kind that comes from trying, trying again, and again.
The notebook page was full of incorrect tries.
She sighed. She picked up her water bottle to drink some water. She tilted it towards her lips to drink, but the bottle was empty.
"Nooo. It's empty," She realized.
She sighed again, then stood and went downstairs to get more water.
As she was walking downstairs silently, trying not to make any noise.
Clang.
The sharp sound came from the kitchen.
She froze. "What was that?!" she wondered, her heart starting to pound.
Still scared, she slowly walked forward to check.
She stepped cautiously into the kitchen.
There was Liora, standing by the stove with her back to the door. A kettle was already on the burner, heating up.
She was making coffee. At this hour?
Ulmea blinked, still out of breath.
"You scared me," she said, placing her bottle on the counter. "It's the middle of the night!"
Liora turned around, looking calm. "Sorry. I tried to keep quiet."
Ulmea filled her bottle and took a sip. The water was cold, but it felt good.
Liora asked, " You're still awake?"
Ulmea gave a tired nod. "Just math. I need to finish it first."
Liora looked at her quietly. Her expression changed a little.
"You look tired," she said gently. "Is something bothering you? Is that why you can't focus? Are you thinking about... grandfather (Sabir Ali)?"
Ulmea hesitated for a second but then nodded slightly.
Liora gave a small smile and turned back to the kettle. "Want coffee?"
"Yeah," Ulmea said quietly, pulling out a chair.
The kettle was still heating. The soft sound of the stove filled the quiet.
Liora took out two mugs and added coffee to each.
Ulmea sat quietly, watching Liora open the sugar jar and stir the coffee.
Then, softly, she spoke.
"Do you think he ever thought this family would fall apart?"
Liora didn't turn around right away. She poured a bit of milk into one mug, then the other.
A long silence. Then she spoke, "I don't think he let himself believe that."
She gives a sad smile.
"He built everything like it would last. Like we'd carry it together. But I think… deep down, he saw the cracks. He just hoped love would be enough to hold it all."
She looks at Ulmea.
"And maybe that was his mistake."
Ulmea was quiet again. Then she asked,
"Did anyone try to stop what was happening to his things?"
A pause. Her fingers tighten slightly around the mug.
"They tried… some of them. Quietly. In their ways. But no one pushed hard enough. No one wanted a fight."
She looks down at the coffee.
"Maybe they thought holding on to peace was more important than holding on to his things. Or maybe… they were just scared."
Liora put one mug on the counter near Ulmea.
Ulmea picked up the coffee mug along with her water bottle. She didn't say anything.
The mug felt warm in her hands.
She didn't drink from it. She just turned and quietly started walking up the stairs.
Liora looked at her, confused.
"What's wrong with her?" she said softly to herself.
Ulmea walked into her room and gently closed the door behind her.
She placed the coffee mug and her water bottle on the desk, then pulled out her chair and sat down.
Her math book was still open. She picked up her pen and started working again, quietly, slowly.
She took small sips of her coffee. It wasn't very hot now, but it helped her stay awake.
The night felt long. Her page slowly filled with numbers. The only sound was her pen scratching on the paper.
Finally, her work was done.
She closed the book, let out a small sigh, and looked at the clock.
It was 4 a.m.
Ulmea turned off the lights, got into bed, and pulled the blanket over herself. Her eyes closed the moment her head touched the pillow.
Sleep came quickly. The coffee was forgotten. The house, once again, was quiet.
___
Her phone buzzed in the quiet.
Ulmea moved under her blanket, eyes still closed.
It buzzed again.
Half-asleep, she picked it up and answered, not even checking who it was.
"Hello...?"
Lora's voice came through, loud and fast.
"Ulmea! Where are you? You didn't call me back yesterday, and you didn't even check my messages. Are you okay?"
Ulmea blinked, her heart suddenly thudding.
She sat up fast. "Wait...what time is it?"
She glanced at the clock on her wall.
7:30 a.m.
Her eyes widened. The school bus came at 7:15
"Oh no," she whispered. "I missed the bus…"
"Yeah," Lora said. 'And today's Food Day! Everyone brought snacks. Where are you?!"
Ulmea didn't have an answer. "I—I overslept. I didn't hear my alarm."
She paused. "No one even woke me up…"
"Your siblings didn't go either?"
"I don't know," Ulmea said quickly. "Let me check."
She got out of bed quickly and splashed water on her face. Her eyes felt heavy, and her body was still tired from the night before. She didn't change, just put on her slippers and went downstairs.
The house smelled a little like toast.
She walked into the lounge.
There they were, Alex and Flossy, sitting in front of the TV, watching cartoons like it was a normal Sunday.
Plates were on the table. They had already eaten.
She blinked, a little surprised.
They didn't even look surprised to see her.
"Morning, Ulmea!" Flossy called out cheerfully.
"Did you sleep in?" Alex added, not looking away from the screen.
Ulmea just stood there.
No one had woken her.
No one had noticed she wasn't ready.
And she had missed the bus. Missed the school day. Missed everything.
Ulmea just stood there, confused.
"Why didn't anyone wake me up?" she finally asked.
Flossy looked at her with wide eyes. "We thought you weren't going today either."
Alex nodded. "Yeah. We told Mama we don't wanna go. What were we even going to do there? Just get tired."
Flossy added, "And Liora told us you were up late doing your homework."
Ulmea blinked, still trying to catch up. "But I was supposed to go."
They both looked at her, surprised.
"You were?" Flossy asked.
Ulmea sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Yes."
She looked toward the hallway. "Is there anyone at home who can take me now?"
Alex shook his head. "Dad and brother Riley already left. Only brother Aslan is here. He's in his room."
Ulmea turned towards the other side of the lounge. Aslan's room was on the same floor, just to the side.
She walked over and knocked gently.
"Come in," came his voice from inside.
She pushed the door open. Aslan was standing near the mirror, fixing the strap of his watch.
"I missed the bus," she said. "No one else is going today. Can you drop me? I'll be ready in a few minutes."
He looked at her and nodded once, sliding the watch onto his wrist without a word.
Ulmea went upstairs to her room.
Since it wasn't a regular school day, she didn't have to wear her uniform. She picked out a plain black dress and quickly changed. It wasn't fancy, but it looked neat.
She put on her watch, slipped her handbag over her shoulder, and stepped into her mini block heels.
One last look in the mirror and she was ready.
Then she headed back downstairs, her heels making soft clicks on each step.
The house was quiet. She walked through the lounge, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder.
Aslan stood near the front door, keys in one hand, phone in the other. He glanced up when he saw her.
"All set?" he asked.
Ulmea nodded. "Yeah."
Without another word, he opened the door. She followed him out.
They walked to the car parked just outside the gate. Aslan unlocked it with a quick press of the key.
Ulmea opened the passenger door and slipped inside. The seat was cool against her back. She placed her bag on her lap and buckled the seatbelt.
Aslan got in, started the engine, and pulled out onto the road without saying much.
The city felt quiet, not asleep, but not fully awake either.
It was already 8:05 a.m.
School had started, just a little. But it still made her feel nervous.
She leaned back in her seat and looked out the window.
Trees passed by quickly. They didn't talk, but it didn't feel strange.
They reached the school gates at 8:20. A few students were still going inside.
Ulmea got out of the car and fixed her bag on her shoulder.
"Thanks," she said, looking at Aslan.
He gave her a small nod from the driver's seat.
She gave a quick smile, then turned and walked off.
As soon as she entered the school gate, she started walking faster.
She went past the parking area, then the junior wing, where little kids were laughing and running around with their bags.
Then she reached the senior girls' wing.
Her heart was beating fast again, but not just because she was late.
She just hoped the teacher wouldn't mark her late.
She climbed the stairs quickly.
When she reached her classroom, the door was open, and the room was a little louder than usual.
It was Food Day, a fun day at school, so the desks were pushed to the sides, and students were already setting things up.
Even though it was a relaxed day, the attendance was still marked. And so were the names of latecomers.
Ulmea stepped in quietly, hoping she wasn't too late.
A few students looked at her, but no one said anything. The teacher was sitting at her desk, talking to another student.
Ulmea looked around and saw Lora at the back, setting plates and cups on a table.
She walked over quickly.
Lora looked up and smiled.
"Finally! I thought I'd grow old waiting."
Ulmea gave a small, tired smile.
"It's been a messy morning. My brain's still half asleep."
Lora laughed and gave her a paper plate.
"You're here now. Let's grab something before it's all gone."
Ulmea took the plate and looked around the room, voices, laughter, and colors.
For the first time that day, something felt okay.